Microsoft gives 12 governments a peek

Microsoft said Thursday it has now let a dozen national governments see its Windows source code in its battle to win lucrative public-sector contracts and to muffle mounting hype over rival operating system Linux.

Earlier this year, Microsoft started a new initiative that involved opening up its Windows OS to governments interested in tailoring the software to fit, primarily, their security needs.
Microsoft said 12 countries, including Austria, Russia, China and the United Kingdom, had entered into the new deals, with another 35 in negotiations, since the program started in January.